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The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

tourhub | UTracks | The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors | FC3 | Map

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8 Days From

~~$978~~

$947

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

8 Days Starting in Conques and ending in Cahors

Visiting: France

Tour operator:

UTracks

Tour code:

FC3

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Group size:

1 - 15

Physical rating:

moderate

From: $978 $947 Mid-Year Mayhem Discount: -$31

NB: Prices correct on 27-Jul-2024 but subject to change.

Tour Overview

Traverse the centuries of time and the borders of Europe on the medieval pilgrim trail of Compostela. In the 9th century, the tomb of the apostle St James was unearthed in Compostela. The site became the focus of a pilgrim trail beginning in France, and crossing northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. This journey, along the Via Podensis, the French Way of St James, takes pilgrims from Le Puy en Velay to the Pyrenees at St Jean Pied de Port. The route passes a multitude of churches and monasteries, resembling a travelling museum of Romanesque art. Six stages of this historic trail are included in our self-guided walking program in France.
From the pretty town of Conques, traverse the Lot Valley and cross vast limestone plateaus covered in forests of oak, chestnut, boxwood and Montpellier maple and dotted with megaliths and other historic relics. The plateau, cut by the Lot and Cele rivers, is home to interesting villages and a rich gastronomic tradition. Explore the Champollion museum in Figeac and tempt your tastebuds at local markets brimming with local culinary specialties on this inspiring walk through timeless scenes.

Highlights

Conques - a Romanesque wonder of the tenth and twelfth centuries
Monoliths and dolmens (megalithic stone tombs) along the route
Regional gastronomy
The towns of Figeac (Champollion museum) and Cahors (Pont Valentré is classified World Heritage by UNESCO)

Itinerary

tourhub | UTracks | The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors | FC3 | Route Map

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Day 1 : Arrive Conques

Arrive in the picturesque town of Conques, Romanesque in origin and nestled in lush greenery. If you want to visit Conques and its abbey, a major building of Romanesque architecture, we recommend that you arrive in the late morning or early afternoon.

Day 2 : To Livinhac Le Haut (6Hrs)

The trail this morning heads to the surrounding hills where the view over the village of Conques is striking. Along the way, visit a small chapel dedicated to Saint Roch, pilgrim saint of Montpellier. Here he is depicted as a pilgrim with a scallop shell. This evening your accommodation will usually be in Livinhac or at times dependent on availability, you may be booked at Decazeville (28.5km/17.8mi).
Distance 23.5km/14.6mi, +774m/2539ft, -856m/2808ft

Day 3 : To Figeac (7 Or 8Hrs)

Leaving from either Livinhac or Decazeville, you reach the hilltop village of Montredon, dominated by its church Saint Michel and Romanesque Chapel of St Mary. The route then crosses the countryside to arrive in Figeac. It is the birthplace of Champollion (decipherer of the Egyptian hieroglyphs) and you can visit the excellent museum dedicated to his work. There is also a Benedictine abbey from the ninth century.
Distance 24km/14.9mi, +507m/1663ft, -517m/1696ft - From Decazeville 29.5km/18.3m

Day 4 : Walk To Gréalou (4-5Hrs)

From today the walking becomes easier. The trail crosses the river Célé and ascends the limestone plateau, where you can admire the magnificent "Cazels" or "Bories" - little dry stone shepherd huts. Arrive in Gréalou with its Romanesque church from the twelfth century, Our Lady of the Assumption.
Distance 20km/12.42mi, +498m/1633ft, -315m/1033ft

Day 5 : Continue To The Pretty Medieval Town Of Cajarc (4Hrs)

The trail today descends along the Lot valley to the village of Cajarc, where you can visit the ruins of a castle dating from the thirteenth century and the chapel of St Margaret, listed as an historical monument since 1941.
At times you may be booked at a hotel in Cajarc on a Bed & breakfast basis, in which case a discount will apply.
Distance 11km/6.83mi, +120m/394ft, -341m/1119ft

Day 6 : To Limogne En Quercy (5Hrs)

The trail continues along the arid plateau of Limogne en Quercy. The rainwater seeps inside the rocks to form a network of underground rivers and the region is also rich in caves, some of which contain cave paintings. The Causse de Limogne also contains many dolmens. Limogne en Quercy is famous for its truffle fair, usually held on Sunday mornings from December to March and in Summer.
Distance 19km/11.9mi, +410m/1345ft, -274m/899ft

Day 7 : Walk To The Truffle Town Of Lalbenque (7Hrs)

A great walk today as you have the opportunity to see the dolmens (megalithic tombs built of stone) and other historic monuments and sights of interest: old windmills, wells, dry stone walls and a pretty monolithic cross (carved from a single block) along the route. The relative isolation of the plateau has created a quiet life for the villages, its farms and houses.
Distance 22km/13.7mi, +211m/692ft, -246m/807ft

Day 8 : Trip Ends In Cahors (5Hrs) Or Continue On The Trail Towards Lectoure

The trail takes you along the Cami Ferrat, an ancient trade route between Cahors and Caylus. The town of Cahors is nestled in a U-shaped bend of the Lot River. Arriving into the town you first cross the famous bridge Valentré, an emblem of the city classified as World Heritage by UNESCO and a well-known pilgrim milestone. The trip ends on arrival in Cahors.
We can assist with booking the night's accommodation in Cahors on request - please ask for our rates. Or you can continue on the next stage from Cahors to Lectoure, which includes the night's accommodation.
Distance 19km/11.9mi, +320m/1049ft, -471m/1545ft

What's Included

Accommodation
7 nights guesthouses or hotels
7 breakfasts, 6 dinners: Breakfasts are usually continental inclusive of breads, cheese, ham, tea, coffee & juices. Dinner will consist of 3 courses, usually starting with a salad, followed by a chicken, red meat, fish or pasta dish & finishing with a des
7 nights in guesthouses or simple hotels on a twin share basis, generally with ensuite facilities. On occasion facilities will be shared with one or two other rooms. Option to upgrade to comfort accommodation - supplement applies.
Digital information pack including smartphone app with maps and roadbook
Luggage Transfer, 1 piece maximum 13kg, supplement applies for excess
Visitor tax
Emergency hotline
Travel to Conques and from Cahors
Meals not listed as included, drinks
Travel insurance - mandatory
Guide – this is a self-guided walking holiday
A supplement will apply if you are travelling solo or book a single room
Entrance fees not listed as included
Transfers not listed as included
Transfers by taxi or public transport if you need to skip a stage
Excess luggage
Items of a personal nature

What's Not Included

Drinks, lunches and dinners not noted as included
Entrance fees
Tour guide - this is a self guided trip
Excess luggage - arrangements can be made to carry luggage in excess of the 1 bag of 13kg limit. Please do not tie smaller bags onto your main luggage as they will be treated as extra bags. Excess luggage which has not been pre-organised will be refused.
Transfers
A supplement will apply if you are travelling solo or book a single room.
Travel insurance

Accommodation

7 nights guesthouses or hotels
During the trip you will be accommodated in simple hotels, Chambres d'hôtes (B&Bs) and gîtes (guesthouses), always on a twin share basis. Some of the gîtes may have shared bathrooms and you will need to bring your own soap. The eclectic mix of accommodations is one of the great attractions of the trip, with the Chambres d'hôtes offering home style cuisine and house wine, and the gastronomy in the hotels ranging from good to excellent. It is possible to upgrade accommodation to comfort hotels and Chambres d'hôtes - this must be requested at the time of booking.

Grading

Daily walks are between 11 and 28km on well marked trails over diverse terrain – from relatively flat to mountainous. This is a well worn path where route finding is straight forward (refer below for further details on self guided walking). The main areas to concentrate on route finding are arriving and leaving towns. The accent is on keeping a steady pace to take in all of the attractions, with time to stop and take photos. You will need a good level of fitness and walking endurance to participate fully in this holiday.

What You Carry

As the walks are fully supported you only need to carry a daypack with your daily requirements including wet weather gear, water bottle, lunch supplies, mobile phone and sun protection etc.

Reviews from travellers on this tour

I. Belous(Lantzville, Canada)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

26 Sep 2023

Accommodation was varied and adequate. Baggage transfer worked great. Could use an extra day to shorten the distances between towns. All in all a great trip.

T. Quinn(Richmond, United Kingdom)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

5 Jun 2023

I enjoyed the variety of accommodation (hotels and gites d'étapes) and the walking although I would say that this section of the route is less scenic than Le Puy to Conques.

L. Pledge(Glenbrook, Australia)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

27 Oct 2023

What a fabulous walk. Thank you, everything was so well organized, all accommodation and meals very good. Maps and directions also really great. Advice for future walkers is simple, have a really good fitness level, travel light (less than 13 kilos if you can) take lots of water and study all info well before you go. Will definitely go again.

D. Crewes(Bayview, Australia)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

19 Oct 2023

Our walk from Conques to Cahors was an awesome experience. Walking in the beautiful French countryside - the oak forests, fields of cows, ancient monuments and historic towns. Then ending the day at good hotels/gîtes with a yummy meal made it very special. They organised it brilliantly, and we’re looking forward to doing another walk next year. Some of the distances were longer than on the directions given. Also we would have liked to have had the La Malle Postale label for our bags sent to us before we left, we had to make our own in Conques!

S. Parker(Petersham, Australia)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

4 Oct 2022

This is a lovely walk for those interested in seeing rural France. To walk for hours through farmland or forest and end the day with wine and food is one of life’s great pleasures.

S. Crewes(Australia)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

19 Oct 2023

We had a wonderful time on the Camino walk from Conques to Cahors. The accomodation organised by UTracks was clean and comfortable, with lovely breakfasts and dinners when provided. Our luggage was transported in a timely manner to each location. One criticism that impacted on our walk was that we found the maps and distances provided to be inaccurate at times - one day ended up being almost 30km rather than the suggested 18km! Some of the accommodation was difficult to find as well. A review of distances and clearer maps and directions is needed. Overall, a memorable experience.

D. Mcleod(Auchterarder, United Kingdom)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

3 Oct 2023

A good challenging section of the Camino but less spectacular in scenic terms.

J. Worsley(Hamilton, United States)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

30 Sep 2023

Overall we had a very good experience, hotels and accommodation mostly were of good standard.

M. Corden(Hampton, Australia)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

28 Jul 2022

The trail was very well signed and easy to follow through some lovely terrain. UTracks did a good job of organising reasonable accommodation and booking the luggage transfers, all of which went off without a hitch.

J. Willott(Kiama, NSW)

The Way of St James - Conques to Cahors

04 Oct 2018

The accommodation and food were faultless. We didn’t find the walk too challenging and the scenery was beautiful. This is my third walk with UTracks so think that speaks for itself.

Read all 11 reviews

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~~$978~~ $947